Lords of the Nexus
by Ohyoupokedme
Summary: The Nexus holds many unknown secrets, including the history of the lords in each realm. Many hold a dark past or horrible tragedies, victims of being selected by the Nexus. Learn the history of the Raven Lord, Captain Blackheart, Ka, the Spider Queen, Queen Nightshade, and other prisoners of circumstance. (temporarily discontinued; see profile notices)
1. Chapter 1

The man stumbles into blackness, unable to see anything at first but the ground beneath him. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized he was inside some sort of circular room, each with a throne surrounding a circle. Standing up on his feet, he brushed his sleek black hair back, which flowed down to his shoulders then sharply pointed behind him. His nose was short but pointed downward at the tip almost like a beak. He brushed dust off his pants and shirt, then shook his cape off before approaching the thrones. He then saw that they all were occupied except one, which the man assumed was for him. Torches then burst to life and lit the room up, revealing the figures in the thrones.

"Ah, Raven Lord." One of the men in the chair said to the man who just appeared. The man leaned forward in his chair, the light revealing his face, which was not the head of a man at all, but of a snake. "It's about time."

The Raven Lord walked to the vacant throne, "Yes, yes, nice to see you too, Ka." He answered in annoyance, "If this meeting is for what I believe it is for, then is everyone present?"

The Raven Lord looked around the room. Six, including himself. Three women and two other men. "Good. Then lets get started."

"Why must we be disturbed by this?" A man sitting to The Raven Lord's right complained. He had a very boney structure to him with wrinkled skin and brown eyes that almost looked black. He had wild brown hair to accompany his already strange appearance and a voice that sounded almost like a ghoul. "It has only be fifty years since the last batch of Heroes came to our realms. We are no closer to finding out how to prevent this from happening anymore!"

"There is no preventing it, you fool!" A spidery voice spoke from next to the snake man, Ka. "The Nexus chose our realms, and that is the way it must be. For why it is this way, you must ask your superior, The Raven Lord."

The boney man looked to The Raven Lord, "Well?"

"You know very well that I cannot release that information, so please don't bother asking."

"We all know you are the one who holds those secrets, Raven Lord." A woman said, sitting to Ka's left. She was beautiful in appearance and had formal clothing on that made her look closely to a noble, with long and luscious red hair flowing down from her head. "Would you at least explain why you cannot give the secrets out."

"Because I cannot. It is that simple, my lady. If you knew what I knew, then you would keep this to yourself as well."

"Argh! Why you be so secretive, Raven Lord?" A voice appeared. A green mist appeared in the room, and out of it came a skeleton figure with a long black beard. On his left eye was an eyepatch, which covered the green glow that otherwise escaped from his right eye socket and mouth. He had on full pirate attire and a peg leg to go along with it. When the skeleton appeared, he stumbled a bit, holding a bottle of liquor in his hand.

"Blackheart… You're late again." Ka pointed out. "And drunk, as expected. We forgot to count you among us."

"I ain't too drunk, ya sandy-" Blackheart hiccuped, "Well, maybe a little bit, but that doesn't matter! Where's my comfortable seat?!"

Green mist again appeared and landed behind Blackheart, then a skeletal throne of ghostly mist materialized behind him. "Ah! That's better!" Blackheart slumped into the chair and laid back. "Are there new scallywags comin' to see ol' Capt'n Blackheart?"

"Your assumption is correct, Blackheart." The Raven Lord confirmed, "The Nexus's power is growing, and soon a new cycle of heroes will appear to wage war."

"YAAA HAAAAARGH!" Captain Blackheart yelled out, "This will be fun!"

"I wouldn't expect you to care about their intrusion, Blackheart." Ka said, "Since, after all, you don't actually own the realm of Mistharbor. You simply stole it."

"Aye, that I did!" Blackheart said proudly, "And since that day, I have been thriving with coin! Coin, coin, coin, coin, cooooooin!"

"Such selfishness." The Raven Lord commented.

"Don't be talkin' to me about selfishness!" Blackheart said, "After all, I'm not the big headed landlubber who demands the worship of everyone in Raven Court!"

"That's ME you're thinking about, you fool." Ka said.

"It doesn't matter, I'll make him pay for that!" The Raven Lord said angrily. A purple aura surrounded the man and suddenly he began to grow black feathers, a beak, and talons. Wings sprouted from his back and his eyes turned a glowing red. A sword appeared in his hand and he flew toward Blackheart.

"I'll see ya to Davy Jones!" Blackheart exclaimed as he raised his pistol, aiming at The Raven Lord. Before they could clash, however, viney roots appeared and grabbed both of them.

"What in the world do you think you two are doing!?" A woman next to the other one spoke up angrily. She was dressed like a queen, with a small crown on her forehead. She had lots of makeup covering her, almost excessively so. "People call me short tempered! You two are like wild animals!" The roots let go of them and The Raven Lord turned back into his human form. "I apologize for that, Queen Nightshade. This meeting is of the utmost importance and should not be ruined by bickering."

"I too am sorry, Nightshade." Blackheart also responded.

"Now, both of you, sit down!"

Ka sighed sadly, "And I was beginning to hope this meeting would be more fun. How silly of me to expect such entertainment."

Both men sat in their thrones, then The Raven Lord spoke, "This meeting is now in session, at last. No more distractions. Let us discuss the immediate issues at hand; the heroes will be arriving within the next twenty four hours, and we must prepare for their arrival. Who will usher them in as the Nexus selects them?"

Everyone pondered for a moment. "May I suggest Uther the Lightbringer?" Ka asked, "He has been very willing to train and lead new heroes since his death. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few more centuries of conflict, as he has done such things for us in the past."

"I am unsure if he would be willing to leave his Afterlife to aid us another time, but it is worth a shot." The Raven Lord declared, "We frankly have no one better at explaining these things to newcomers than him. If nobody has objections to this, we will move on."

"I OBJECT!" Blackheart screamed out, throwing his bottle on the ground and smashing it. The Raven Lord looked at Blackheart, confused. "What exactly do you object to, Captain Blackheart?" The Raven Lord asked.

"I object that my bottle be empty!"

The room went silent. Everyone was looking at Blackheart, dumbfounded. "Wha-? This is about me bottle, ain't it?"

"NO, BLACKHEART! IT'S NOT!" Nightshade screamed in frustration.

"Oh… Then ye may carry on!"

The Raven Lord blinked away his confusion and continued, "Then it is decided. Uther the Lightbringer will be our ideal trainer. The next order of business is to make sure we have the areas the Nexus has chosen cleared of civilians who wish to avoid danger, and to also make sure our forts are ready for conflict. I sense there will be much destruction during these next few centuries."

The boney man looked at The Raven Lord, "Master, does that mean our mining operations will slow to a halt again? We cannot afford to let our lands go into another depression!"

"I take no pleasure in letting my people suffer, but we have no choice in the matter. The Nexus has chosen that area to be a battleground and it must be so. I will not risk the lives of my people to mine during combat in order to gain a few coins."

The boney man turned quickly to Blackheart, "Blackheart! You must have some coin you can spare-" He stopped when he realized that Blackheart was sleeping in his chair. "Great! Bastard can't even stay awake!"

"What more did you expect from a low life criminal?" Ka asked rhetorically, "He holds no respect for the realm he laid claim on. He only uses it to steal from people's wallets through his meaningless 'taxes'. I doubt he would give up his gold if his life depended on it anyway."

"He probably expected some sort of decency from him." The Raven Lord defended, "But I suppose that was too much to ask."

"Nevermind that, we need to prepare minions who will fight alongside the heroes." Queen Nightshade, "We should have recrutement ready and prepared for those who wish to fight for glory, gold, or other things."

"I can take care of a majority of that." The Raven Lord declared, "A large group of young fighters in my realm seem adventurous and actively look for adventure, and I think they will go along great traveling with the Heroes. I can look for them. They need not be of any real power, but it should help with the minion situation… if you all consent to my subjects being in your realms, that is."

"I do not consent." Ka said.

"Nor do I." said the Spider Queen.

"Alright. May I ask why?" The Raven Lord asked.

"I don't trust your men roaming around in my lands." Ka answered, "They stole our food, gold, and women last time. I will provide my own minions."

"Very well." The Raven Lord looked at Queen Nightshade and the other noble, "Do you consent?"

"We do." Queen Nightshade answered.

"I assume Blackheart will consent as well." The Raven Lord guessed, "Then everything seems to be in order. We will summon Uther the Lightbringer and await his arrival. May all our realms make it out of this trial safely."

 **X**


	2. Chapter 2

**Origins of The Raven Lord of Cursed Hollow**

Alius put a hand on his head in pain as he sat on the throne. A pulsating headache had developed in his head caused by recent stress. The two servant girls present asked if he needed anything, but there wasn't really much they could do to clear his headache. Several guardsmen stood in a line to the left and right of Alius, holding spears pointing toward the ceiling, ready to guard Alius with their life. There were only six in total; recruitment has been slow this year in the civil war. It doesn't help that many of the city-states that fought for the throne were still recovering from Alius's and his partner's takeover just three years ago. Bloody conflict ended thanks to those two, but it soon resumed when Alius and his partner Jarvis disagreed on many issues, especially on how the new government should be rebuilt. Alius suggested to Jarvis that it would be simply a new monarchy, but the people voted whose family out of the two would rule as the next royal family after the old king and all his heirs were left dead. Jarvis disagreed, and suggested they simply build a benevolent dictatorship, then have a group they can select from to take over after they die or pass away, a group they can trust to rule Raven Court. That was when the seven years of peace ended and the second civil war for power started between Alius and Jarvis.

The castle Alius was present in was the old king's castle, where he once ruled in. During the conflict, Jarvis gladly stepped out of the territory and gave it to Alius and his allies, only to build himself his own castle over the next three years of the civil war. The construction was completed yesterday and Alius only got word of it this morning. This disturbed Alius greatly; having a castle for a leader to reside in shows power, and whereas Alius simply borrowed a castle, Jarvis built himself a new one for himself, which made him seem more capable and powerful as a leader than Alius. More and more city-states were becoming allies with Jarvis after being neutral for some time. If Alius didn't win the favor of the rest of the neutral city-states soon, he will likely lose the war.

Alius was about to retire from the throne to his private quarters when the doors to the throne room opened, and a guardsman peeked inside, "Lord Hollow, there is a man out here to see you. A messenger from Lord Jarvis."

Alius sighed, "Bring him in. But tell him to make it quick."

The guardsman nodded and closed the door. Alius heard muttering outside. He was curious to see what Lord Jarvis was doing sending a messenger to his castle, but at the same time he didn't want to deal with Lord Jarvis's tomfoolery. It was too late now. The door opened and revealed a man dressed in a rather professional manner, in blue robes and gold at the ends of his cloths. His robes dragged behind him as he walked toward the throne Alius sat in. He was bald and had blue eyes that seemed to stand out greatly. Alius glared at him and asked, "What do you want?"

"I am a messenger and a diplomat from your enemy, Former Adviser Alius."

Alius raised his hand, "Has Lord Jarvis never taught you manners? You do not call me by my former title. I am Lord Hollow."

"If you wish for me to respect your title, then you must respect Jarvis's new title as well."

Alius tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

"Have you not heard? Lord Jarvis crowned himself as king of Raven Court this very morning after the completion of the castle. He is now King Jarvis. He branded you and any city-states allied with you as terrorists and rebels."

Alius could hardly believe these words, "That's ridiculous! He can't do that!"

"I believe he already has. He parades through the streets in his territory as we speak, the people celebrating their new king. I have come to negotiate your surrender"

"If you demand a surrender from me just because he throws a homemade crown on his head, you are deeply mistaken. That doesn't make him a king."

"But the people think he is a king." the messenger grins, "Clearly, you are having trouble gaining support as it is. King Jarvis basically took your spotlight when you two took over. He was, after all, a general in the old king's army and took responsibility for the overthrowing of the many city-states fighting for the throne. You are merely an adviser to the old king, nothing more."

"An adviser that helped make the old king's kingdom successful."

"People don't notice the adviser." The messenger argued, "Only the king. Regardless of how you feel things should be, the reality here is that King Jarvis has taken a huge leap in the race for power. He is seven steps ahead of you." The messenger took out a scroll, "All you need to do is sign this scroll and peace will come at last to the lands of Raven Court."

Alius scowled, "Lord Jarvis can choke on the scroll. I'm not surrendering."

The messenger shrugged, "Very well. The lives of those lost in the civil war from this point forward is on your shoulders." The messenger, without another word, turned away from Alius and walked out the door. As soon as his footsteps began to fade, Alius screamed in anger and tore the top of his shirt, ripping it down to his stomach. Breathing heavily, Alius quitted to his bedroom. He stormed down hallways and stairways, rage overcoming him. Those narrow-minded peasants didn't know how great of a ruler Alius Ray was. The messenger was right; Jarvis did have the upper hand of publicity, but Alius had allies who knew of the prosperity he brought, even during times of civil war. The allies he did have were fiercely loyal. That was his only chance of victory; to win the other city states to his side… if they weren't already on Jarvis's side.

Bursting into his quarters, Alius ran forth to the bed and sat, pondering to himself. He almost didn't notice the servant boy, who was cleaning his quarters while he was in the throne room. The boy was rather shocked to see him burst in so abruptly. "Is there something wrong, my lord?" The boy asked.

Alius looked at him, "Yes, my boy, but do not concern yourself with it. Do you know where my mistress is?"

"She left your service a week ago. Do you recall, my lord?"

Alius put a hand over his face. "Yes. I recall." Alius sighed, "I release you from your duties for the day. Go see your family."

The boy bowed and left Alius by himself to contemplate his next move.

It was a horrible nightmare that Alius awoke to. He shot up in his bed, sweating and shaking. It had felt so livid and real that he had to take a moment to get his bearings. He looked around the dark room, dimly lit only by the moon shining through the nearby window. He seized us when he saw a shape in the darkness that looked like a figure. As his eyes adjusted, he realized it was a figure; the silhouette of a man. Alius was so afraid he wanted to scream, but he couldn't out of sheer terror. Was it an assassin? Had Jarvis finally had enough with Alius? The figure slowly crept closer to Alius, making him slightly more visible the closer he got. He was wearing robes and a hood, making his face invisible in the darkness. The man was so silent that you could hardly tell he was alive if you tried to listen to his soft, quiet breathing. Just as quietly, the man spoke.

"Alius Ray…"

Alius tried to yell, but it only came out as whispers. The man must have put a whisper spell on him. "What do you want? Why are you here?"

"I am a friend. Do not be afraid."

The stranger pulled up a chair beside Alius's bed and sad down. Alius sat up, reaching underneath the pillow for his dagger, but it wasn't there. Alius cursed to himself. It was there just this morning. The stranger held a dagger in his hands and showed it to Alius, "Looking for this?"

"Leave this instant! I have no interest in whatever you have for me!"

"Even if it involves winning the war?"

Alius hesitated a moment, almost as if reconsidering, but the next moment he shook his head and whispered loudly, "No! I will win the war for sure. I don't need your expertise when victory is near. All I need to do is convince the other city-states who are neutral to join me and we have a chance."

"I'm sorry to say, but you won't win." The stranger said, throwing the knife aside.

"How dare you-"

"Now now, hold on. If you let me speak, I will leave you in peace."

Alius remained silent, only doing so to not prolong his meeting with this figure.

"Do you know of the cave of Cursed Hollow?"

"I grew up there. Of course I do."

"And you know what the locals say lie within?"

Alius remembered the stories, "The Mark of The Raven Lord. Nobody knows who the Raven Lord was, but he made the Mark to hold his powers. Anyone who finds the Mark is granted the ultimate divine right to rule Raven Court and has powers of a god. But no such thing has ever been found."

"That is simply because it doesn't want to be found." The stranger seemed to smile under his hood, "Until now. Alius, if you go to Cursed Hollow, the Mark will reveal itself to you, and you will become the new Raven Lord."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because, come tomorrow, you will find that all your efforts will be for nothing. My offer will stand for two days. If you do not look for the Mark within those two days… you will lose the civil war."

The stranger backed away into the shadows and disappeared.

Alius felt sleep overtake him suddenly, as if the stranger had cast another spell on him. Alius's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

The servants helped Alius dress appropriately for the meeting ahead. Haushtat was the city-state Alius would be going to first, and is by far the most important one to get on his side. Haushtat was a rich empire, and by far the most powerful of all the neutral city-states existing today. If Alius were to get them to join his side, all the other city-states will follow suit. The resources at Haushtat will almost determine the victor of this war. Alius almost forget about the stranger last night. Either way, Alius had to get Haushtat on his side.

Alius galloped on his horse alongside two Royal Guardsmen. Haushtat sat in the distance, shimmering with perally stones, almost white. It was out on an open plain, with many roads leading to several entrances to the city. The roads were occupied by many traveling merchants, royals, and peasants. Alius rode down with the guardsmen, passing by various kinds of people from various kinds of cultures and places. Some clapped in the presence of Alius while other scoffed. Some didn't even seem to notice him and kept on going. Alius and his guardsmen approached the massive gate, which was open to let visitors through. The streets were flooded with people and merchants, which made it difficult for Alius and his guards to travel down the streets toward the center of the city, which was where the leader was. Eventually, Alius managed to get there, approaching the large structure before them to meet Balrin, the ruler of the city-state. Before they made their way inside, they were stopped by guards at the doors of the building.

"Are you Alius Ray?" One asked.

"I am indeed." Alius replied.

"Wait here. Balrin was expecting you."

The guard went inside. After about three or four minutes, Balrin came out. He had ginger hair accompanied by a ginger beard, and he was short almost like a dwarf. He had several rings on his fingers with gold bands and a diamond, ruby, or emerald center. He had brown and green attire on with a gold design. You could definitely tell that Balrin was a rich man of high class.

"Alius, my dear friend. I'm afraid I have bad news to inform you of." He said in an upbeat sounding voice.

Already? "Balrin, if this is about economy…"

"Hardly, my friend. The civil war has only increased our wealth here. I have bad news for you…"

It couldn't be. "Did Jarvis come before me?"

"Indeed he did. I was skeptical of him at first, but…"

"But what, Balrin?" Alius demanded.

"He was convincing. I decided to join his side in the civil war…"

Alius felt like he was ran over by a horse. "You joined him before I was even ready to plead my case?"

"I am a businessman first, and I did the calculations. You can't even hope to match his offers for Haushtat. You were losing economically, and you come to a businessman to make a deal without two coins to rub together."

"Look, Jarvis may have economic prosperity now, but in the future he will drain himself-"

"I've already made the deal. I'm not changing my mind. I'm sorry, but I must think of what is best for Haushtat, and joining you is not what is best for Haushtat. Maybe, if you surrender, we can all live in peace and we can be friends again, but I can't join you. It would be against my duty as a leader of this city-state."

Alius didn't know what to say. He felt speechless. Haushtat was his only hope for victory…

Alius turned without another word. "I'm sorry…" Balrin said one last time. Alius didn't acknowledge him. Instead he rode his horse all the way out of Haushtat. There was only one thing he could do now…

The day began to turn to night, then midnight. Alius ordered his guards to leave him and return to the castle. The guards departed, and Alius continued on toward Cursed Hollow. It was the only thing he could do. He hoped the stranger was right about this Mark. He found it unlikely that the Mark even existed, but if Haushtat was his only hope before, this is his last resort. Alius rode through the night past the trees of various colors. Cursed Hollow was a misnomer; the village was actually very prosperous in agriculture and lumber harvesting. It was considered 'cursed' because of the abnormal amount of ravens that appear in that area. That fed the theory that the Raven Lord, who ruled Raven Court before mortals took over, was buried there. Of course, everyone assumed it was folklore, and still think so. Still, many adventurers attempt to prove the folklore as true, digging many man-made holes and caverns into the cave to try and find evidence of the Raven Lord. Alius wasn't sure what he would find, if he found anything, but he had to investigate.

Alius traveled down the path through the forest until he reached a small wooden gate blocking his path. There was also a wooden wall on either side of the gate, stretching across through the forest. Alius jumped off his horse and knocked on the gate. A little slot slid open and someone peered through. "Who's there?" Spoke a grumpy elderly female.

"It is I, Alius Ray."

"Alius? Lord Hollow coming to visit his hometown again, eh?"

The lord nodded, "Indeed. I have some business to take care of."

The elderly woman shut the slot and the gates slowly opened for Alius. "If this is about the lumber stocks and food storage, I can tell you that the supervisor you sent here is very pleased with our work so far. Everything meets demand."

"I would like to speak to the supervisor right away."

"Right away, Lord Hollow."

The elderly woman ran into the small hut next to the gate and in a few moments came out with a man by her side. "You're in luck, Lord Hollow; here is the supervisor."

The man bowed a bit, "I don't think I ever met the lord in person."

"We need to discuss supplies. I was told that our lumber and food stocks are meeting demand?"

"Yes, my lord. I am pleased with the results."

"We have to triple our production here. Think you can raise the demand?"

The supervisor nodded, "Yes, my lord, but that means we need more laborers."

Alius nodded, "That won't be a problem. Thank you. Go back to your duties."

The supervisor nodded and went back into the hut he came from. The old woman bowed, "I'll take care of your mount, Lord Hollow."

"Thank you." Alius continued onward into the village. Cursed Hollow wasn't really a formed village; it is more like little pockets of houses, a lumber mill, and several farms entrapped inside a wooden wall securing the area. The wall secured about a mile and a half of land in the hollow, while anything outside were lumber mills. Cursed Hollow was a rather peaceful place with very little dangers other than wolves that come out at night. There were occasional ogres and giants who wandered down from the mountains, but they weren't difficult to handle with the proper techniques put into play. People only really fear the cave of Cursed Hollow. It is the only naturally formed cave in the area, and it is where most of the ravens in the area go to in the winter. It was an abnormal form of behavior; all birds travel south during winter, but not the ravens. Instead, they all travel to Cursed Hollow and enter the cave. Nobody knows what they do in there, and nobody knows why they do this, but it fed the theory of the Raven Lord even further.

Alius walked through the patchy village, coming across several houses in the wood. He knew where he was going; the cave of Cursed Hollow was near the Epicenter of Cursed Hollow. The Epicenter was where the largest concentration of living quarters were located, and that was the area he lived and grew up in as a child. Most of the paths leading to another part of Cursed Hollow were dirt roads, but the Epicenter was more developed. It was the only market in Cursed Hollow; not big by any means, but the only one. That is where Alius had to go if he was going to find the cave.

…

After about twenty minutes of walking, Alius finally found the Epicenter. He walked in and the ground suddenly changed to stone, almost like a stone street, with market stalls left and right. There were only a handful of people shopping; most were packing horses and carts with lumber, wheat, and other grown produce. A small stream to the side flowed around the marketplace, and this stream actually flowed directly toward the cave of Cursed Hollow. Houses lined up along the stream with two bridges leading to the other side; a wooden bridge built in place by nails and secured by wood, and another which amounts to three large planks of wood leading to the other shore. Alius approached the secure bridge and crossed over it, then making his way down the stream from the shore, carefully stepping on the grass so as to not fall into the water. By then, the sun was setting and his surroundings began to get dark. As blackness closed in, he went further and further away from the Epicenter and continued to follow the slight shimmer of moonlight in the stream. For about an hour he kept following the stream, hearing the noises of crickets and wolves, until he saw a light in the distance; not moonlight, but torchlight. Someone was out here waiting for him. The torchlight illuminated nearby trees, the cloaked and robed man holding the torch, and the entrance to the cave Alius was searching for. The entrance looked just big enough for Alius to squeeze through, and the stream flowed straight inside. Alius peered at the man holding the torch and realized that it was the same man who visited him in his living quarters. "Why are you here!?" Alius yelled, "Who are you!? A prophet? A soothsayer? Some sort of fortune teller?"

"None of them." The man said, "I am a guide, simply."

"You knew my attempt to get Haushtat on my side would be a failure! Now you've dragged me here out of sheer desperation! What do you want from me!?" Alius began to walk quickly toward the man, fists clenched, prepared at any moment to unsheath his dagger and stab the stranger. The stranger made no physical response to his intimidating approach and continued, "I want you to unlock your destiny, and your full potential is inside this cave."

"The Raven Lord is a myth!" Alius continued yelling, "Made up by some scared farmers to explain why ravens always gather at this place. The Raven Lord was a normal human tyrant whose name is erased from time, not a god or ethereal being by any sense of the word!"

"Really?" The stranger asked rhetorically, "Then what happened to the Raven Lord and why was he able to remain in power for so long?

Alius has no answer. He tried searching within his memories he retained from reading history, but it failed him. He remained silent. "I see." The stranger stated, "You don't have an answer. The death of the Raven Lord and the limit of his power was never recorded. I wonder why?"

"This don't mean anything to me. All I want is to see my lands protected."

"You can't." The stranger argued, "You are defenseless, your allies betray you one by one, and even your close friends turn their back in favor of Lord Jarvis. You cannot protect your lands… not without my aid."

Alius couldn't rebuttal. He simply shook his head a moment, then looked into the stranger's covered face. "Alright." He finally said, "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to follow my instructions." The guide said, then opened his palm. A shot of energy sparked forth and a symbol appeared: It was a raven skull with wings and crossbones, made from a violet energy. "This is the Tribute. Come to me."

Alius slowly approached the glowing Tribute, "This, upon gathering it, will awaken the Raven Lord's power. Take it and the Tribute will soak into your body. This will allow you to awaken him."

Alius reached out his hand and touched the Tribute. Immediately, the Tribute started to shimmer and purple energies began to go into the tip of his finger until it was gone. "Now, go into the cave." The guide commanded, "You will know the way."

"How did you come across this Tribute?"

"That is a story for another time." The guide said, "Now, go. Seek your destiny."

Alius nodded, took the stranger's torch, then looked into the dark crevice of the cave. Fear overtook him, but he moved toward the crack and squeezed through, the water now trickling down the stone.

…

He couldn't see far in front of himself, which made his reliance on the torch crucial. His heart stopped every time the flame flickered a bit from the breeze that came from the cave. The crack then began to widen a bit, allowing him more breathing space and room. He could see his breath now, and he wasn't sure if that was due to the cold night outside or the cool air inside the cave. Shivering, he descended down further, each step bringing a sweat on his face. What awaited him in here? The fear of the unknown began to hold a grip on him with every movement further. He wanted to turn tail and run, but that was not an option. That would admit surrender. Alius did not surrender. He kept going.

Eventually, the downward slope came to a large room, where the stream dropped into a large pool of water a hundred feet down. There was a ledge which went around the side of the pool at the same height, which led to another passageway on the other side of the chamber, which rested on said ledge. The ledge seemed to get more narrow toward the middle of the room, then widen out at the passageway. Alius closed his eyes to mutter a prayer, then opened them, stepping onto the ledge and making his way around. As the ledge narrowed, he began to slide his way across, until the ledge was so narrow that only his heel was on it. The drop terrified him, as at this point he was not longer above water, but solid, stone ground which acted as the shore to the pool of water. If he fell, he would break his legs and die. Inch by inch he made his way across, holding his breath and trying not to look down. The ledge began to widen, but then he heard fluttering. Alius looked behind him and suddenly a dark shape flew past his head, and in a panic he slipped. He felt the sensation of falling for merely a moment until he somehow grabbed the ledge. He had one hand holding him up, then he quickly snatched the edge with his other free hand, pulling himself up. After being safe, Alius laid against the stone wall and breathed heavily. That was close. He looked to his right and saw a raven, which looked at him curiously, a small pebble in its beak. Alius paid it no mind and continued, but the raven flew ahead toward the passageway. Alius ran after, but the passageway led to just a small, empty circular room. "No… no no no, this can't be all there is!" Alius looked around for another passageway, but with no success. He looked at the raven, who was on the ground hitting the stone against the wall. "Wait a second…"  
Alius had an idea. Alius shooed the raven away from the spot it was hitting and placed his hand there. The violet energy of the Tribute transferred a bit from his hand to the stone, and it turned to ash. The stone continued to turn to ash, going downward as if it was carving a passage for him. Alius followed the burning stone as it burst before him until it stopped in another small room… only lit with red lamps and torches. This wasn't natural at all. When Alius entered the room, the red glow engulfed him, and before him were braziers of red flame, presenting before him a coffin of black, polished stone. On said coffin, there was a mark, the same as the Tribute the stranger gave him. Was this the Mark of the Raven Lord? It had to be it. He sensed a presence in that coffin… a powerful one. This had to be it.

"Raven Lord…" Alius began, "I know you are here. Come out."

The coffin cracked open slowly and purple mist began to flow out from it, covering the ground in it. Somehow, Alius felt like he knew what to do.

"Raven Lord, I offer my body and present myself wholly to your spirit. Take me, and we will become one, and our reign will be eternal."

The black coffin burst into pieces and black, ethereal ravens with glowing red eyes flew in every direction. Everything seemed to be black as the ravens surrounded him. Alius remained calm through this, even when one of the ravens hit his open mouth and crawled its way inside. Alius couldn't feel it, he just let it happen. More and more squeezed their way into his mouth, morphing shapes to all fit in. They all continued to fly into his body until not a single raven was left. Alius fell to the ground, gasping. Memories of the Raven Lord filled his mind, and memories of Alius filled his mind as well. He felt his identity constantly changing from Alius Ray to the Raven Lord, like his memories were intertwining with his own. Who was he becoming? Was he still Alius? Was he the Raven Lord? Personality, memories, moralities spin together, and he felt himself become something greater. Power surged through his body, his eyes glowing violet. "I am a god now…" the Raven Lord said, "Time to end this war…"

 **Story to be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

"I refuse." Uther stated.

The six went silent, stunned by the unexpected answer. The only one not very surprised by the answer was the Raven Lord. "I suspected such." He said, sighing as though he wished he were wrong, "Nobody here is stopping you; we don't have the right to withhold you from the Afterlife, but we will plea that we need your assistance. We are short on options."

"I have no desire to fight anymore. I do not even understand why I am fighting. I just want peace. Do you realize how difficult it is to transition from a state of timelessness to mortal time? It takes its toll."

"I am confused..." The ghoulish man said, "Why did you bother with us in the past?"

"I felt a strange desire to, but that desire has faded." Uther answered, "Experiencing the pain of dying again and again without restraint... No rest. It is a literal hell. Constant fighting is not my idea of an Afterlife. Being crushed to pieces, burned alive, or cut in two isn't a wonderful sensation to experience. I already died once by Arthas's hand. Let me rest."

Nobody could argue with him. Not even Blackheart could make a comment. "There won't an Afterlife to return to if you don't help us Uther." The Raven Lord said finally. Everyone looked toward the Raven Lord curiously. "What do you mean?" Uther asked. The Raven Lord remained silent. Uther was beginning to become frustrated, "I want to know, Raven Lord."

"Know what?"

"Don't play dumb." Ka said, "That isn't like you, Raven Lord. He wants to know the secrets of the Nexus."

"I can't tell him! I can't tell anyone! The secrets of the Nexus is mine to keep. It is my responsibility to make sure that information isn't released. All I can say is that it is of the utmost importance."

Uther frowned, "If I am going to fight, I must know what I'm fighting for. I can keep it secret, but I must know before I fight anymore."

Everyone in the throne room knew that the Raven Lord was in a dilemma. On one hand, Uther was an important figure and had a role to play in the Nexus when it selects heroes. Uther keeps it from becoming absolute chaos. On the other hand, the Raven Lord vowed to keep a secret, and telling Uther would break that vow he made with himself or whoever made him vow it. The Raven Lord sat there, thinking for a couple minutes in silence. Finally, he said, "Come, Uther. Let me bring you to my realm. We can discuss matters there."


	4. Dear Reader

Dear potential readers/current followers.

I bring this message to you because, as you likely deduced from my lack of updates for **_more than six months_** , I have not been updating my stories.

This is due to a simple and important thing called "life"

Life happens and thus I must make room for it. Room that my fanfictions take up. So I will be suspending these fanfictions indefinitely. All of them. They will remain up for your reading pleasure but don't expect anything finished. There are several reasons for this decision:

1) School is more important than hobbies that I write on and off.

2) I've been working on an actual novel, and filling that time with fanfictions is a waste. I barely have time to write the novel as is. I have to cut things away somewhere. That starts here. I enjoyed these stories while they lasted, and I hope that my creativity and talent was well received and served the reader well (assuming I do indeed have creativity and talent).

3) Writing a novel that could potentially make me money is more valuable than fanfictions. When I start writing as a career I may try and revive old fanfictions for fun, but until that day comes I'm sorry to say that everything is now discontinued indefinitely.

Thank you for following my content. I'll update my account page with any information regarding other works should they pop up in the future. Right now I am focusing on a fantasy story.


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